Vacation Days
by TheSilverArgents
Summary: Five times Katherine misses work.


A/N: This one was a lot of fun to write, guys!

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I. Girls Day

It had taken almost a half of hour of convincing to not go to work, but eventually Katherine relented. Clara and Adelaide had pulled her away for a girls day out and she had to admit that she was secretly pleased she missed work. Adelaide had taken up more shifts at the dress store she worked at because she was hoping for a managerial position, Clara was more involved in her studies (and David) than ever, and Katherine was in the middle of writing a big article. They barely met up unless it was a weekend anymore and she missed her best friends.

Of course, she had Jack, the Newsboys, Darcy, and Bill, but sometimes you just needed a a girl's influence. Katherine realized this as she sat down at a small table for three, Adelaide and Clara following her lead. When Clara plopped down (they had done quite a lot of walking through Central Park) she made a face and Katherine swore she had something of Lucille in the curve of her smile, but shook it away.

She was happy she'd missed work.

II. Crutchie

He'd shown up at the apartment at the crack of dawn, held up by Specs and JoJo. He was conscious, but had a nasty fever and his leg was worse than ever. Jack had immediately gotten him onto the couch and covered with a blanket and Katherine put tea on the stove to warm the boys up. A half hour later, Jack convinced Specs and JoJo to get a move on so that they could get some rest before work. Katherine was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch next to Crutchie, who was now asleep, and calming down after the morning's rough start.

"You should get to work." Jack started from the doorway of the bathroom, "I got him. I know how much you hate to miss."

"Oh it's alright, I'll stay with him. You should go in today, I know you have that big meeting today with all the illustrators." Katherine said getting up to grab another blanket for a shivering Crutchie.

"Katherine, it's okay. I go-" His assurances were cut off by a raspy but demanding voice.

"Jack Kelly, you go to work today or so help me God I will get off this couch and kick you out the door."

Katherine and Jack turned to see Crutchie who had an eye open and was staring directly at the artist. Jack began spluttering protests, but Cructhie and Katherine cut him off and he surrendered; grabbing his bag, mussing up Crutchie's hair and giving Katherine a quick peck on the lips.

When he was finally gone, Crutchie looked up at Katherine. "You two are too good to us, you know that?"

Katherine shook her head and sat down in her previous spot by his head, "If he heard you saying that he'd wring your neck. If you didn't look so bad, I would too."

Crutchie nestled deeper into the couch and mumbled a 'whatever', but spoke more clearly, "Thank you for this, though." He pointed at his leg which was elevated on a mass of pillows.

"It's our pleasure, Mr. Morris." Katherine said smiling and she kissed his forehead as he sunk back into sleep.

III. Day with Darcy

Darcy and Katherine had known each other since they were children. They grew up in the same circles and always snuck away from the social gatherings just to talk. People swore left, right, and center that they'd be a fine match but they shrugged it off, knowing they were no more than the best of friends. As Darcy grew up he began to fill his father's shoes a bit more and began seeing himself as one of Katherine's older brothers, walking her too and from work everyday even though she insisted she'd be fine.

There was some newspaper event at Battery Park that they were supposed to be attending, but halfway through the introduction, Darcy bought her a pack of roasted almonds and they decided to ditch it. Well, Darcy decided to ditch it. He practically dragged Katherine along with him and they spent the day catching up. This wasn't something Darcy usually did. Not to say that she didn't like that he was letting loose a bit, but it wasn't him so naturally she called him out of it.

His eyes suddenly found the ground incredibly interesting, "I had an argument with my father about the paper. I needed some time to…think." He finished and looked up at Katherine.

Katherine grabbed his hand and pulled him onto a bench, "Okay, talk to me. What happened?"

"He's just printing trivial things. Things that aren't of much importance, what's the point of having a newspaper if you don't give any news."

"Well, what do you want him to print?" Katherine asked.

"Well," he began. "There's this new mode of transportation I've been hearing about. They're calling it the subway. It travels undergr-"

"I've heard about the subway, Darcy. Why won't he print it though?" Katherine asked in confusion. It was new and exciting, people would be dying to hear about it.

"He thinks it's ridiculous." Darcy said leaning back into the bench exasperatedly.

Katherine sighed and offered him some roasted almonds, she knew how he felt.

IV. Jack

"Come on." He whispered in her ear. "Let's just not go for one day." He kissed the spot right under her ear and she sighed, trying not to let him get the best of her.

"You aren't being fair, you know." She pointed out as he kissed her neck. "You're…seducing me into skipping work."

Jack stopped for a moment and looked up at her thoughtfully, "Is it working?"

Katherine didn't answer because she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. He smirked at her while she stonily stayed silent and positioned himself so that he was holding himself up over her. "You know we're newlyweds, right? That means people will understand."

She laughed and looked up at him, a challenge in her eyes, "What that I spent the entire day in bed with you?"

He smiled cheekily at her, "Sounds even more beautiful than in my head."

"Oh, shut up." She relented swatting at his side before pulling him down into a kiss.

V. Doctor's Appointment

"And what's the reason for your appointment today, Mrs. Kelly?" Clara asked officially while putting a stethoscope to Katherine's chest. Katherine rolled her eyes. She'd skipped work to go to her "doctor" because of some sort of stomach flu.

"Well, I can't keep anything down. Every time I try to eat something for breakfast I can't hold it in and end up vomiting in the bathroom."

Clara nodded, "Have you felt any fever? Abdominal cramps? Nausea? Fatigue?"

"Yes to the last three." She suddenly had a dreadful thought, "You'd tell me if it was the typhoid right?" Katherine clasped Clara's hand and Clara smiled, "Relax. It isn't the typhoid, I don't even think it's stomach flu. But, I think you have something." She began prodding at her throat and murmured some assessments, then moved down to her chest and Katherine felt nothing, until a burst of pain came from the spot under her left breast.

"Ow?!" Katherine exclaimed questioningly.

Clara looked at her in confusion, "I didn't even poke you that hard!" Then something dawned on her, "Katherine when was your last menstrual cycle?"

Katherine thought back, "Um, February 2nd?"

Clara's eyes widened, "Katherine, it's March 7th."

Katherine shrugged it off, only some doubt still buried in the back of her mind, "People are late sometimes, right?"

"Yeah, people are late sometimes." Clara assured her and then tacked on, "Those times are usually when they're pregnant."

Katherine's eyes bulged out of her head, "Are you saying I'm pregnant?" She whispered the last word as if someone could hear them on Clara's couch.

Clara shook her head, a small smile forming on her face, "I'm saying you should go see an actual qualified doctor because you have all the symptoms; morning sickness, late menstrual cycle, tenderness of the breasts. Tell me if you start to want to eat odd foods because I have a teacher who says that's a sign too."

Katherine look around Clara's apartment in awe, "I'm pregnant."

Clara smiled uneasily, "You _might _be pregnant. I'll make an appointment for you at the clinic. You can go back to work now."

"I don't think I can." Katherine half-whispered.

"So, don't! To hell with it, in a few months you may not even be allowed to go anymore!"


End file.
